Buprenorphine potentiates l-DOPA-induced contralateral rotation in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated rats

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 274; no. 1; pp. 25 - 28
• Main Authors: Adams, Amy C, Keefe, Kristen A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 15.10.1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: 6-Hydroxydopamine; Analgesics, Opioid - pharmacology; Animals; Anticonvulsants. Antiepileptics. Antiparkinson agents; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Benserazide - pharmacology; Biological and medical sciences; Buprenorphine; Buprenorphine - pharmacology; Contralateral rotation; Dopamine; Drug Synergism; Injections, Intraventricular; L-Dopa; Levodopa - pharmacology; Male; medial forebrain bundle; Medical sciences; Motor Activity - drug effects; Neuropharmacology; Opioid receptors; Oxidopamine - pharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Opioid - metabolism; Sensitization; Striatum; Contralateral rotation; Striatum; Dopamine; Buprenorphine; Opioid receptors; 6-Hydroxydopamine; l-DOPA; Sensitization; Animal model; Nervous system diseases; Rat; Opioid receptor; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Parkinson disease; Basal ganglion; Corpus striatum; Oxidopamine; Antiparkinson agent; Cerebral disorder; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Central nervous system disease; Degenerative disease; Rotation behavior; Levodopa; Brain (vertebrata); Extrapyramidal syndrome
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00668-0

Animals are commonly given opioid analgetics such as buprenorphine for post-operative pain management. In this study, the effect of the analgetic buprenorphine, a partial mu receptor agonist and kappa receptor antagonist, on l-DOPA-induced contralateral rotation was measured in 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) treated rats. Male Sprague–Dawley rats received dopamine-depleting brain lesions by infusion of 6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bundle. After the procedure, buprenorphine was administered (430 μg/kg, s.c.) to 17 of 54 animals. Three weeks after 6-OHDA treatment, animals were given benserazide HCl (25 mg/kg, i.p.) and l-DOPA (4 mg/kg, i.p.). Contralateral rotations were monitored for 2 h. Animals receiving buprenorphine had significantly higher rates of rotation as compared with non-buprenorphine-treated animals ( P=0.023). The results suggest that buprenorphine sensitizes animals to the effects of l-DOPA.